Improvement in sickle-heads for harvesters



m. MQSHIELLABFERGEB. Sickle-Head for Harvesters.

Patented Feb. 16,1875.

Whzasas:

8 THE GRAPHIC C0.PHOT0v-LlTH.39&4-! PARK PLAOEJLY.

STATES MICHAEL M. SHELLABERGER, OF HAMILTON, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN SlCKLE-HEADS FOR HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 159,970, dated February 16, 1875; application filed November 19,1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL M. SHELLA- BERGER, of Hamilton, in the county of Oaldwell and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sickle-Heads for Reapers and Mowers, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification:

My invention consists in a novel construction and arrangement of parts, whereby the coupling-shoe is relieved from wear and friction, the sickle-head may be adjusted laterally, and provision is made for attaching and re moving the sickle-bar, and compensating for wear resulting from friction of the parts.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front view of my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken in the line a; w of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal horizontal section taken in the line y y of Fig. 1.

A represents a couplingshoe, which may be of any suitable construction. On the horizontal portion of the shoe rests the lower race B, which consists of a metallic plate secured to the shoe by bolts 0 passing through round holes din the shoe, and slots f in the plate running transversely thereof, so that the plate may be adjusted laterally by moving it to the proper position, and tightening the nuts 9 on the bolts 0. On the upper side of the plate B, near the rear edge, is a groove, b, which runs the entire length of the plate, and its cross-section describes an arc of a circle. The upper race consists of a plate, H, in the lower edge of which is a groove, h, of similar form to the groove 1) in the lower race. Near the ends and upper edge of the plate H are two cars, It in which are slot-s c running transversely of the plate.

In the upper portion of the shoe A are two screw-threaded bolts, 7:, which extend outward toward the front of the shoe. Each of these bolts is provided with two nuts, Z l. The upper race H is attached to the shoe by passing the outer ends of the bolts 70 through the slots t, with the nuts Z between the shoe and the race, and the nuts Z on the outer ends of the bolts is outside or in front of the race. 0n the bolts k, between the nuts 1 and the race, are brackets m, which extend upward to a point somewhat higher than the upper edges of the ears h", and are bent horizontally outward or forward, so as to hang over said cars.

In the horizontal portion of the brackets are set-screws n, the points of which bear upon the upper edges of the ears h The race H is adjusted vertically by loosening the nuts l and moving the plate to the proper position on the bolts 70, which pass through the slots "5, and then tightening the nuts 1 so as to hold the plate in the position so placed. The race H is prevented from upward displacement by means of the set-screws a bearing on the upper edges of the ears h", and it may be adjusted nearer to or farther from the shoe by turning the nuts 1 l in one or the other direction.

Between the upper and lower races works a metallic yoke, P, the upper and lower edges of which are rounded to correspond with the concave form of the grooves h and b in the races. This yoke has a reciprocating motion in a direction transversely of the line of travel of the machine, and the lower race B prevents wear of the shoe from friction. At its inner end, or the end nearest the platform of the harvester, is a tubular elongation, p, for the reception of the end of the sicklebar Q, the shank q of which has a screw-thread formed on it for the reception of a nut, R, by means of which the bar Q is attached and secured to the yoke.

The inner edge of the yoke nearest the elongation 10 serves as a seat for the nut R, the portion of which opposite the seat is elongated and of less diameter than the other portion, and has an external screw-th read, 8, formed on it for the reception of the nut S.

The upper and lower inner edges of the yoke P are tapering, as shown at t, or may have tongues or ribs formed on them, said ribs or tapering form extending about two-thirds of the length of said inner edges, leaving a portion, T, in which the upper and lower edges are perfectly straight and perpendicular to the sides of the yoke. The pitman which drives the sickle-bar has its outer end attached to a wrist-pin, V, havinga spherical journal or bearing, c, which works in a boxing attached to the yoke P, which boxing is made in two parts, Y Y each of which parts has a concave hemispherical bearingsurface for the spherical journal 'v, and has grooves 20 in its upper and lower edges corresponding with the tapering edges t. The boxing is placed in position in the yoke by inserting the parts Y Y in the portion T, and then sliding them to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, so that the tapering edges or tongues t will engage with the corresponding grooves a, as shown in Fig. 2, and prevent lateral displacement, the spherical journal Q7 being inserted in the concave bearing-surfaces before sliding the part Y into place. After the boxing Y Y and spherical journal 1: haye been placed in position. as shown, the nut R, carrying the nut S, is placed in the opening T, the end of the cutter-bar Q is inserted in the tubular elongation p, and secured by the engagement of the nut R with the shank q. The nut S is then turned so as to bear against the part Y of the boxing, and force it toward the part Y sufficiently to cause the spherical journal 'u to work properly in the concave hemispherical bearings, and the parts are then in working condition.

This invention may be easily applied to any reaper or mower the coupling shoe of which is of suitable construction and its advantages will be readily observed, espe cially in cases where the shoe has been subjected to wear from the friction of the sicklehead, as the lower race B prevents wearing of the shoe. The lateral inclination of the cutterbar, by which the points of the knives are canted up or down, is regulated by adjustin g the upper race H nearer to or farther from the shoe by means of the nuts 1 1 The brackets m and set-screws n enable the upper race to be adjusted to the yoke P with the proper degree of nicety to insure the proper working of the parts, and also to compensate for wear resulting from friction. By means of the nut S the two parts of the boxing are adjusted with relation to each other and the spherical journal '0, and when the parts become worn from the result of friction they are adjusted to compensate therefor by turning the nut S, so as to force the parts Y Y toward each other. Another advantage resulting from this construction and arrangement of parts is, that the cutters Z may be attached to the sicklebar Q close to the yoke, and the sickle-bar may be removed, when necessary, by drawing it outward through the finger-bar, there being no eye in the end of the bar to prevent its passage through the fingers.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The adjustable lower race B, in combination with the coupling-shoe A, as shown and described, for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of the shoe A, the separately-adj ustable lower and upper races B and H, and the yoke P, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

3. The combination, with the cutter-bar Q, formed with the screw-threaded shank q, of the nut R and the yoke 1?, having the tubular elongation 12, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

4. The combination of the yoke P, the boxing Y Y andjournal o, the nut S, the screwthread 8 on the exterior of thenut R, and screwthreaded shank q, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

5. The combination of the shoe A, bolts 70, brackets m, set screws n, and upper race H, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

MICHAEL M. SHELLABERGER.

Witnesses:

GInEoN PRENTI'CE, JOHN N. MORTON. 

